JP2005330969A - Quickly connectable pump to pump mount, and drive unit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pump-to-pump coupling that is tough and simple. <P>SOLUTION: Related to a device and a method for pumping fluid, this device comprises a first pump formed of a first housing, and the first pump is provided with a first primary shaft installed to rotate a first gear set disposed in the first housing. The device further comprises a second pump formed of a second housing, and the first pump is provided with a second primary shaft installed to rotate a second gear set disposed in the second housing. The first housing and the second housing are mutually connectable. A quick shaft connection mechanism is provided to connect the first and the second primary shafts when the first and the second housings are connected to each other. The first primary shaft drives rotation of the second primary shaft. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a multi-pump assembly, and more particularly, to a multi-pump assembly having a quick-coupling coupling and a driving device for integrally connecting the pumps.

  Pumps that are driven and interconnected by a single power source are known. For example, US Pat. No. 6,672,843 (Patent Document 1) relates to a dual pump device including a dual drive shaft and an auxiliary pump. A dual-type pump device is disclosed for use in a vehicle or industry having a housing to which a pair of hydraulic pumps are attached. The dual pump device has at least one charge pump attached to one end cap by a hydraulic pump control trunnion arm projecting from both sides of the housing. A cooling fan can be attached to the primary input shaft or the secondary input shaft on both sides of the pulley used for engagement with the prime mover. An auxiliary pump may be attached to the primary input shaft, and the auxiliary pump may be located on the input end adjacent to the pulley or on the opposite side of the housing.

  US Pat. No. 6,361,282 (Patent Document 2) relates to a dual pump unit. Patent Document 2 discloses a dual pump unit including two hydraulic pumps that are coaxially attached and have mutually connected drive shafts. A coupling member surrounds the connecting member in which the high pressure line and the low pressure line are formed. The connecting member extends between two control bodies, each of which is associated with one hydraulic pump and is periodically between the cylinder of the hydraulic pump, the high pressure line and the low pressure line. Used to form a connection. The connecting members each require two connector plates forming one hydraulic pump in the control body and individually formed interchangeable intermediate elements arranged between the connector plates. Each connector plate has a recess into which the intermediate element can be inserted so that the connector plate can radially surround the intermediate element and can be fixed between the connector plates.

US Pat. No. 6,672,843 dated January 6, 2004 to Holder et al. Wanschura, US Pat. No. 6,361,282 dated March 26, 2002

  Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose complicated pump connections. According to the invention, a more robust and simple pump-to-pump coupling is devised.

  According to one aspect of the invention, an apparatus for pumping fluid is provided. The apparatus of the present invention has a first pump formed by a first housing, which rotates a first gear set (gear set) disposed within the first housing. A first primary shaft (primary shaft) attached in this manner. The second pump formed by the second housing includes a second primary shaft mounted to rotate a second gear set (gear set). The first housing and the second housing can be interconnected. An axis quick coupling mechanism that interconnects the first primary axis and the second primary axis is provided so that when the first primary axis is rotated, the second primary axis is similarly driven.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the quick shaft coupling mechanism includes a tongue receiving slot formed in the first primary shaft and a tongue formed in the second primary shaft. The tongue of the second primary shaft can be slidably engaged with the tongue receiving slot of the first primary shaft to lock the shafts together.

  In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a pumping apparatus is provided having a plurality of interconnected pump housings. A primary shaft with a first end and a second end is disposed within each housing. One gear set (gear set) is arranged in each housing and is driven by a corresponding primary shaft. A quick shaft coupling mechanism is provided for interconnecting the primary shafts of the pumps. The quick shaft coupling mechanism has a tongue formed at the first end of each primary shaft and a tongue receiving slot formed at the second end of each primary shaft. One primary shaft tongue is in sliding engagement with an adjacent primary shaft tongue receiving slot.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of pumping a plurality of individual fluids by a pumping device comprising a plurality of pump units connected together. The method of the present invention includes positioning the primary shaft with a quick coupling mechanism for interconnecting the primary shafts of each pump unit. A power source for pumping individual fluids from one position to another position is connected to one drive shaft by integrally connecting a plurality of pump units.

  Other uses other than those disclosed herein will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following description of the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. .

  Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 shows an apparatus 10 for pumping fluid. The apparatus 10 has a first pump housing 12 and a second pump housing 14. Each pump housing 12, 14 has a first primary shaft 16a, 16b, respectively. The primary shaft 16a is rotatably disposed in the first pump housing 12. The first primary shaft 16a is connected to the second primary shaft 16b and drives the second primary shaft 16b. Each pump housing 12, 14 has a fluid inlet port 18 and a fluid outlet port (not shown) disposed on the opposite side of the housing 12, 14. A projecting annular hub 20 is formed in the second pump housing 14, and the annular hub 20 is engaged with the first pump housing 12 so as to slide. The first pump housing 12 and the second pump housing 14 are held together by a screw fastener (screw fastener) 22 that locks into a groove 24 of the annular hub 20 protruding through the first pump housing 12. Is done. The first pump housing 12 may be provided with a plurality of fasteners (tightening tools) 26 that engage with a power source such as an electric motor (not shown). The first primary shaft 16a can be provided with a half moon key 27 that engages with a power output shaft (not shown) of an electric motor (not shown).

  Referring to FIGS. 2A, 2B and 3, the pump housings 12, 14 are shown in cross-sectional and exploded views, respectively. Each pump housing 12, 14 has a front bracket 28 and a head 30. The head 30 and the front bracket 28 are interconnected by a plurality of screw fasteners 32 that pass through the head 30 and can be screwed into corresponding screw holes 34 formed in the front bracket 28.

  In order to ensure proper dimensional alignment during the assembly process, at least one alignment sleeve 36 may be disposed between the front bracket 28 and the pump head 30 to align the housings 12,14 with each other. . The first primary shaft 16 a of the first pump housing 12 is connected to the second primary shaft 16 b of the second housing 14 by the quick connection mechanism 40. The quick connection mechanism 40 can be constituted by a tongue 42 extending from the second primary shaft 16b and a tongue receiving slot 44 formed in the first primary shaft 16a. The tongue 42 of the second primary shaft 16b is operable to slidably engage the tongue receiving slot 44 of the first primary shaft 16a. The quick connection mechanism 40 can ensure a reliable connection so that when the first primary shaft 16a is driven by a power source (not shown), the second primary shaft 16b is driven in the same manner.

  The first pump housing 12 and the second pump housing 14 are connected by slidingly inserting the protruding annular hub 20 of the second housing 14 into a bore 21 formed in the first housing 12. . The primary shafts 16a, 16b are interconnected after the tongues 42 and slots 44 are aligned and the annular hub 20 is pushed together so that it is inserted into the bore 21 of the first housing 12.

  The first primary shaft 16a has a first primary gear 46a disposed on the outer diameter of the first primary shaft 16a. The second primary shaft 16b has a second primary gear 46b disposed on the outer diameter of the second primary shaft 16b. Primary gears 46a and 46b are coupled to secondary gears 48a and 48b, respectively. Secondary gears 48a and 48b are driven by primary gears 46a and 46b, respectively. The secondary gears 48a and 48b are connected to secondary shafts (secondary shafts) 50a and 50b, respectively. When the primary gears 46a and 46b rotate, the secondary gears 48a and 48b rotate together with the secondary shafts 50a and 50b.

  A pair of journal bearings 52a and 52b are disposed on the front bracket 28 and the pump head 30, respectively. One skilled in the art will appreciate that other types of bearings such as roller bearings or ball bearings can be used. The primary shafts 16a and 16b are rotatably supported by journal bearings 52a and 52b. In the first pump housing 12, a pair of seals 54a, 54b are arranged to prevent fluid from leaking along the interface between the shaft 16a and the housing 12. The pair of retaining rings 56a, 56b prevent the lip seals 54a, 56a from accidentally falling off the housing 12. The second pump housing 14 has a lip seal 58 disposed around the second primary shaft 16b. The retaining ring 60 engages the second pump housing 14 to prevent the lip seal 58 from accidentally falling off the pump housing 14. An O-ring 62 is disposed at the interface between the front bracket 28 and the head 30 of each pump housing 12, 14. The O ring 62 prevents fluid from leaking from the interface between the bracket 28 and the pump head 30.

  The drive ball element 63 (best shown in FIG. 3) is disposed in a recess 64 formed in the primary shafts 16a, 16b and the secondary shafts 50a, 50b. The primary gears 46a, 46b and the secondary gears 48a, 48b have matching slots 66 formed in the gear hub. The gears 46a, 46b, 48a, 48b slide on the drive ball element 63 and engage with the ball element 63, causing positive engagement with the primary and secondary shafts 16a, 16b, 50a, 50b, respectively. . The pair of holding rings 68a and 68b are fitted into engagement grooves 70a and 70b formed in the primary shafts 16a and 16b and the secondary shafts 50a and 50b. The retaining rings 68a, 68b retain the gears 46a, 46b, 48a, 48b in longitudinal positions relative to their respective axes.

  Referring now to FIG. 4, this schematic diagram shows a multi-pump device. A power source such as an electric motor 80 can be coupled to the plurality of pump units 82. The pump unit 82 can be integrally connected by the quick connection mechanism 40. One aspect of the present invention includes the multi-unit configuration shown schematically in FIG. 4, but the present invention contemplates a configuration with the number of pumps effectively required for a particular application. Should be understood. Other shaft quick coupling features such as spline couplings are also contemplated.

  In operation, the first pump housing 12 is connected to a first fluid source (not shown) and the second pump housing 14 is connected to a second fluid source (not shown). Gear sets 46a, 48a; 46b, 48b draw fluid from a fluid source (not shown) through the inlet ports 18 of the first pump housing 12 and the second pump housing 14, and outlet ports. Discharge fluid through (not shown). The inlet port 18 and outlet port can be connected to a fluid source via a conduit, such as a flexible tube, as desired. A power source such as an electric motor (not shown) is connected to the first primary shaft 16a of the first pump housing 12 and drives the first primary shaft 16a. The first primary gear 46a rotates together with the first primary shaft 16a to drive the secondary gear 48a disposed on the secondary rotation shaft 50a. The fluid is sucked from the first fluid source by the rotation of the first gear set (gear set) 46a, 48a. The primary shaft 16 a of the first pump housing 12 is connected to the primary shaft 16 b of the second pump housing 14. The primary shafts 16 a and 16 b are interconnected by a quick coupling coupling mechanism 40. In the quick coupling coupling mechanism 40, the tongue 42 of the second primary shaft 16b engages with a slot 44 formed in the first primary shaft 16a, whereby the second primary shaft 16b is engaged with the first primary shaft 16b. It is driven by the shaft 16a. The second primary shaft 16b drives a second primary gear 46b, which in turn engages with and drives the secondary gear 48b. The fluid is sucked from the second fluid source by the rotation of the second gear sets (gear sets) 46b and 48b.

  Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it should be understood that the legal scope of the present invention is defined by the description of the claims of this application. The detailed description is to be construed as illustrative only and does not disclose all possible embodiments. This is because it is not impossible, if not impossible, to disclose all possible embodiments. Many other embodiments could be implemented using current technology or technology developed after the filing date of the present application, and are intended to be encompassed by the claims which define the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a dual pump assembly separated for clarity. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the dual pump assembly of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dual pump assembly of FIG. 1 coupled together. FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing the dual pump assembly of FIG. 1. It is the schematic which shows the motor drive unit connected with the some pump.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Pumping device 12 1st pump housing 14 2nd pump housing 16a 1st primary shaft 16b 2nd primary shaft 40 Quick connection mechanism 46a 1st primary gear 46b 2nd primary gear 48a 1st secondary gear 48b Second secondary gear 50a First secondary shaft 50b Second secondary shaft

Claims (29)

In an apparatus for pumping fluid,
A first pump formed by a first housing, the first pump having a first primary shaft mounted to rotate a first gear set disposed within the first housing; Prepared,
A second pump formed by a second housing, the first pump having a second primary shaft mounted to rotate a second gear set disposed within the first housing; The first housing and the second housing are interconnected to prevent their relative movement,
The apparatus further comprising a shaft quick coupling mechanism for interconnecting the first primary shaft and the second primary shaft.   The shaft quick coupling mechanism has a tongue receiving slot formed on the first primary shaft and a tongue formed on the second primary shaft, and the tongue and the tongue receiving slot can be slidably engaged with each other. The apparatus according to claim 1.   The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one screw fastener for securing and holding the first housing and the second housing adjacent to each other.   The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each gear set includes a primary gear and a secondary gear that mesh with each other.   The apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a secondary shaft coupled to each secondary gear.   The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one bearing support disposed within each housing for rotatably supporting a corresponding primary shaft.   The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one seal disposed on each primary shaft to prevent fluid from flowing between the housing and the primary shaft.   8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising at least one snap ring for retaining each seal within a corresponding housing. Each housing is further
A front bracket,
A pump head connectable to the front bracket;
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an O-ring disposed between the front bracket and the pump head.   The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a half moon key capable of connecting the first primary shaft to a power source.   The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the power source is an electric motor operable to drive both the first pump and the second pump.   The first housing has a bore, the second housing has a projecting hub, and the hub of the second housing is mountable within the bore of the first housing. The device described.   13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a set screw disposed within the first housing operable to lock-engage with the hub of the second housing. Each housing
At least one fluid inlet port;
The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one fluid outlet port. A plurality of interconnected pump housings;
A plurality of primary shafts having a first end and a second end disposed within the housing;
A gear set arranged in each housing, driven by a primary shaft in the corresponding housing;
A shaft quick coupling mechanism that interconnects the primary shafts of each pump;
A pump apparatus comprising:   The quick shaft coupling mechanism has a tongue formed at the first end of each primary shaft and a tongue receiving slot formed at the second end of each primary shaft. The pump device according to claim 15, wherein the pump device is slidably engaged with a tongue receiving slot of an adjacent primary shaft.   16. The pump device according to claim 15, further comprising at least one screw fastener for fixing and holding the plurality of pump housings together.   16. The pump device according to claim 15, wherein each gear set includes a primary gear and a secondary gear that mesh with each other.   The pump device according to claim 18, further comprising a secondary shaft connected to each secondary gear.   16. The pump device according to claim 15, further comprising at least one bearing support disposed within each housing for rotatably supporting a corresponding shaft.   16. The pump device of claim 15, further comprising at least one seal disposed on each primary shaft to prevent fluid from flowing between the housing and the primary shaft.   The pump apparatus of claim 21, further comprising at least one snap ring for retaining each seal within a corresponding housing. Each housing is further
A front bracket,
A pump head connectable to the front bracket;
16. The pump device according to claim 15, further comprising an O-ring disposed between the front bracket and the pump head.   16. The pump device according to claim 15, further comprising a half moon key capable of connecting one primary shaft to a power source.   25. The pump device according to claim 24, wherein the power source is an electric motor operable to drive a plurality of pumps. A concave bore region formed at one end of the first housing coupled to the power source;
A concave bore region formed at one end of the intermediate housing and a protruding hub formed at the opposite end;
A projecting hub formed in a final housing of the plurality of housings, the hub of the housing being a concave bore region in each adjacent housing so as to interconnect the first housing, the intermediate housing, and the final housing. 25. The pump device according to claim 24, wherein the pump device can be mounted inside.   27. The pump device of claim 26, further comprising a screw fastener that is threaded through a bore region of one housing and is capable of locking engagement with a hub of an adjacent housing. Each housing
At least one fluid inlet port;
16. The pump device according to claim 15, further comprising at least one fluid outlet port. A method of pumping a plurality of individual fluids with a pumping device,
Providing a plurality of pump housings with primary shafts formed with quick coupling mechanisms;
Coupling a plurality of pump housings together;
Interconnecting the primary shafts of the pump housing by slidingly inserting a tongue formed at one end of each shaft into a tongue receiving slot formed in an adjacent shaft;
Connecting the power source to one drive shaft;
Driving a plurality of pump units with a power source;
Pumping individual fluids from one position to another;
A method comprising the steps of:

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